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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits

Author: Katie McGarry

Release Date: 25th July 2012

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins--the smoking hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket--explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

In A Nutshell:

Pushing the Limits had me staying up until the early hours
just to read a bit more of Noah and Echo’s story. First of all, the chemistry
between the two… Yeesh! It was fiery, highly charged and fever inducing and
totally had me blushing at some points. But, it is an emotional roller-coaster as
two lost, lonely and broken people attempt to rebuild their destroyed lives.
Does that sound too depressing? Never fear, you will fall in love with this
book and the characters within.

My Review:

Oh gosh, I’m going to try not to gush too much over Katie
McGarry’s debut novel Pushing the Limits. But OMG, love!!!

Ok breathe.

Pushing the Limits had me staying up until the early hours
just to read a bit more of Noah and Echo’s story. First of all, the chemistry
between the two… Yeesh! It was fiery, highly charged and fever inducing and
totally had me blushing at some points.

But in all seriousness, it is an emotional roller-coaster as
two lost, lonely and broken people attempt to rebuild their destroyed lives.
Does that sound too depressing? Never fear, you will fall in love with this
book.

Noah and Echo are searching for ‘normal’ while constantly
being haunted by their pasts. Both have a desire for independence, Echo from
her father and Noah from the foster system, but are trapped by the guilt and
frustrations of the previous years. Echo struggles to live up to her father’s
expectations while Noah fights to surpass the low expectations the system and
society has always had for him.

Both their stories are ones that show how a life can change
in an instant, for the better or the worse. It looks at the meaning of family -
in all its variations, loyalty, the power of self-confidence, and how different
a life can be when you have someone on your side who believes in you. These are
emphasised by the supporting characters such as Lila, Isaiah, Beth and Mrs
Collins. In Echo’s case, it interestingly looks at friendships and examines
those so-called friends who only want you to be their friend if you are a
certain version of yourself. Noah has to learn not to be so controlled by his
emotions as he tends to act first and worry about the consequences later. As a
kid who has been by himself for so long, he has to realise that he doesn’t have
to do everything by himself.

As Echo and Noah search for happiness, be prepared for tears
and to fall in love with these characters. They are definitely my favourite YA
couple this year!